WTAW - Interviews

Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia about a new H-E-B store, development around the city, the Brazos County Commission’s decision to terminate the east loop highway project, the format of council meetings, College Station’s plan for a convention center, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the July 29, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.

Brazos County commissioners terminate the design contract for the loop highway to the east of Bryan and College Station.

This follows months of public comments from opponents who live in and near the path of the highway.

Commissioner Chuck Konderla's motion was not only to terminate the design contract, but to permanently abandon the project.

Konderla also said his motion was not politically motivated because he is not running for re-election next year.

18 public speakers who all opposed the east loop spoke for almost one hour before the commission's unanimous vote.

Some of the public speakers said cancelling the design contract was only a first step. Still to be done, is to remove the east loop from the list approved by the Bryan/College Station metropolitan planning organization. The MPO's website as of July 29 did not have a posted agenda for its next policy board meeting. The policy board is composed of representatives of Brazos County, the College Station and Bryan city councils, Texas A&M, the Brazos Transit District, and the Texas Department of Transportation. As of Tuesday, there is no future agenda for the MPO policy board's next meeting.

None of the members Brazos County commission who unanimously approved terminating the design contract and permanently abandon the east loop project were on the governing body at the time it was included in a November 2022 bond issue.

Before adjourning, acting county judge Kyle Kacal said "thank you to everybody for the decorum (and) the ability to work together. And I want to thank all our constables and sheriff's department for being here to help with the crowd. It was unexpected, but (it was) a very smooth show today and thank you all for being here."

This podcast contains comments from the July 24, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

The College Station city council awarded an $849,000 dollar design contract at its last meeting as part of a nearly $6 million dollar budget to build and replace sidewalks and shared use paths.

Capital projects director Jennifer Cain said the city's bicycle, pedestrian, and greenways advisory committee was involved in determining the locations.

Those locations includes shared use paths being extended along Bee Creek and Spring Creek and sidewalk extensions are coming around College Station ISD schools and the Texas A&M campus.

Click HERE to read and download maps of the locations of the future sidewalks and shared use paths that were approved at the July 24, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

Click HERE to read and download additional information that was approved at the July 24, 2025 College Station council meeting.

Before the unanimous vote, councilwoman Melissa McIlhaney said she wanted to do something about existing mailboxes next to shared use paths and sidewalks. Cain said that she can contact the postal service.

Staff was also asked for new and improving lighting at various locations.

This podcast contains comments from the July 21, 2025 Bryan ISD school board meeting.

Bryan ISD school board members hear a second time from representatives of the committee that is promoting a $397 million dollar bond issue in this November's election.

The BISD board has until August 18th to call the bond election, which supporters say will not increase the property tax rate.

The last BISD board meeting, on July 21st, included 20 speakers providing details of 36 projects.

Five of the speakers were not district employees. Four were parents and one was a member of the 2025 graduating class at Rudder High School.They are part of a 50 member committee who met 13 times dating back to March.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the July 21, 2025 Bryan ISD school board meeting.

The proposal includes $89 million dollars going to BISD athletics facilities and more than $42 million going to BISD career and technical education programs.$63 million would go to projects at Bryan High School, another $63 million would rebuild Bryan Collegiate High School, and there is $31 million for projects at Rudder.

The list includes $144 million for what is described as lifecycle and priority maintenance items that includes replacing roofs, heating and air conditioning, and other repairs to the interior of Bryan ISD buildings.

If you add all the numbers in this story, the total is over $397 million. That is because some numbers are used more than once. Refer to the attached document for specific information.

This podcast contains comments from the July 15, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.

A proposal to change public comment rules during Brazos County commission meetings was defeated in a divided vote.

Click HERE to read and download the proposed changes that were not approved at the July 15, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.

Acting county judge Kyle Kacal summarized the changes. The proposal included reducing the amount of time per person from four to three minutes. There would have been a maximum of 30 minutes per topic, divided evenly between proponents and opponents of the item. He also wanted in writing; the current practice of public speakers being recognized before beginning their comments. Disruptive behavior such as physical and verbal outbursts would not be tolerated. The only time applause would have been allowed according to Kacal, was when "the court recognizes an individual and/or group with a proclamation, resolution, or for other meritorious action."

Kacal and the commissioners then heard from nine speakers for 35 minutes, who were all opposed to the changes.

Supporting Kacal's proposed changes was Wanda Watson.Voting no were Fred Brown and Chuck Konderla.

Bentley Nettles, who was participating via Zoom, abstained because he said he did not hear the comments of four of the nine public speakers who were opposed to the proposed changes.

Later in the meeting, Brown and Kacal invited in person visits from constituents.

Brown said it took six weeks after he took office to be contacted by someone who he thought was a constituent, and it turned out to be a woman from Grimes County wanting someone to pick up a dead dog. Brown added, "I sit up there in my office, and I look at my phone thinking maybe somebody will call me. And then I watch the door and I'm thinking maybe someone will come in and talk to me."

Kacal echoed Brown, saying he has an open door policy and he prefers meeting in person instead of by e-mail or text.

This podcast contains comments from the July 10, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

The College Station city council approves the annual spending of federal money targeting low and moderate income residents.

The council's unanimous vote of a 169 page document at their July 24th meeting on how to spend $4 million dollars follows a public hearing that took place at the July 10th council meeting.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the July 10, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

Click HERE to read and download pages 1-75 what was approved at the July 24, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

Click HERE to read and download pages 76-116 of what was approved at the July 24, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

Click HERE to read and download pages 117-140 of what was approved at the July 24, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

Click HERE to read and download pages 141-169 of what was approved at the July 24, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

During the July 10th meeting, Raney Whitwell of the city's planning and development office said the number one need the last five years was transportation. That was reflected in continued funding of the United Way of the Brazos Valley's ride share program getting residents to and from medical appointments.

Whitwell said $2.1 million is going to housing programs. That includes increasing down payment assistance for eight to ten households wanting to buy a home to $810,000 dollars, along with $734,000 to acquire and repair three homes to rent to low and moderate income residents, and a new intergenerational house sharing program would receive $86,000 dollars to pay administration costs.

More than $1 million dollars would be spent on public facilities in low to moderate income neighborhoods. Most of that is the $759,000 cost to build and staff a splash pad at Lincoln Recreation Center. Another $280,000 will build a sidewalk in front of Consolidated High School along Welsh, along with $69,000 for an emergency generator and flood warning system, and $20,000 for public library drop boxes outside the Lincoln center and the Meyer senior center.

This podcast contains comments from the July 15, 2025 Brazos County commission meeting.

The Brazos County historical commission has two new members.

Before county commissioners voted on the nominees, commissioner Fred Brown called for applying for a share of $100 million dollars through a new program from the state legislature for courthouse renovations.

Brown said since "we have the ugliest courthouse in all of the world, I would hope that we would apply for $10 million dollars to do something with that monstrosity."

After Brown's comments, the commission unanimously approved the nominations of Daniel Castillo and Clint Williams to serve on the county's historical commission.

This podcast contains comments from the July 24, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

A majority of College Station city council members are still interested in building a convention center complex.

That followed a 90 minute discussion at Thursday night's meeting (July 24) that included a second report from two outside consultants who say the construction cost is $505.6 million dollars, it will be operated at a deficit, but the deficit will be more than offset by tax revenue and visitor spending.

Click HERE to read and download the consultant's presentation materials that were shared at the July 24, 2025 College Station city council meeting.

The convention center has an exhibit hall, two ballrooms, and an undisclosed number of meeting rooms. That would be connected with a hotel that is 18 stories tall and has 400 rooms. The complex would be surrounded by a parking garage holding 400 vehicles and surface parking for 600 vehicles.

A specific location was not selected. Instead, there were five areas. The top three are along University between South College and Tarrow. The other areas are the former Macy's store building and surrounding parking that is owned by the city and College Station's Midtown district. It should also be noted the cost does not include the cost of buying land.

The consultant and some council members said the project is contingent on partnerships assisting with the financing. Possible contributors that were mentioned included Texas A&M, the city of Bryan, and Brazos County. The consultant also shared possible state financial sources and what has been done in cities located outside of Texas.

The consultant's report projected revenue and expenses of a convention center-hotel complex to have a net loss ranging from $1.8 million dollars in the first year to $3.5 million in the 30th year. Not included in the expenses, is whatever debt the city has to pay for financing the project.

The consultant also projected the city receiving tax revenue and additional revenue from visitors as the result of the complex, starting at $34 million dollars the first year the complex was open to $128 million dollars in the 30th year.

Council members and city management say they are waiting for the consultants to provide detailed data that went into the 22 page presentation that was shared at the council meeting.

The council's next discussion on this topic could be as soon as 30 days from now.

Jennifer Nations, College Station's Water Resource Coordinator, visits with WTAW's Scott DeLucia about Smart Irrigation Month, how to schedule an irrigation check-up, smart irrigation system rebates, low water landscaping, irrigation reminder emails, and more during her appearance on The Infomaniacs.

This podcast contains comments from the July 21, 2025 Bryan ISD school board meeting.

A Bryan ISD school board policy was amended this week to reflect a new state law banning students from having cell phones and other personal devices turned on and on their person during the school day.

Click HERE to read the amended Bryan ISD board policy on communications devices that was approved at the board's July 21, 2025 meeting.

Click HERE to read and download presentation materials from the BISD board's July 21, 2025 meeting.

Click HERE to read a Bryan ISD news release.

On August 4th, the BISD board will amend the district's student code of conduct, which will add consequences for students who violate the new state law.